Low-dose 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine diagnostic scan is inferior to 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine posttreatment scan in detection of malignant pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the lesion detectability of low-dose diagnostic 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) whole-body scans obtained at 6 and 24 h compared with posttreatment 131I-MIBG whole-body scans in malignant pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. METHODS: Scintigrams obtained in 15 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma were retrospectively analyzed. Diagnostic scans were performed with 111 MBq of 123I-MIBG. Therapeutic doses of 131I-MIBG (5.55-7.40 GBq) were administrated and whole-body scans were obtained at 2-5 days after 123I-MIBG administrations. We compared the number of lesions and the lesion-to-referent count ratios at 6 and 24 h of 123I-MIBG and at 2-5 days of 131I-MIBG. RESULTS: In comparison with the 6-h images of 123I-MIBG, the 24-h images of 123I-MIBG could detect more lesions in eight patients. Posttreatment 131I-MIBG scans revealed new lesions in eight patients compared with the 24-h images of 123I- MIBG. The lesion-to-referent count ratios at 6 and 24 h of 131I-MIBG and at 3 days of 131I-MIBG were increasing at later scanning time. There were significant differences in the lesion-to-referent count ratios between 6 and 24 h of 123I-MIBG (P=0.031), 6 h of 131I-MIBG and 3 days of 123I-MIBG (P=0.020), and 24 h of 123I-MIBG and 3 days of 131I-MIBG (P=0.018). CONCLUSION: Low-dose diagnostic 123I-MIBG whole-body scan is inferior to posttreatment 131I-MIBG whole-body scan in malignant pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Considering the scan timing of 123I-MIBG, 6-h images might have no superiority compared with 24-h images. © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams &Wilkins

Insulin resistance as early sign of hepatic dysfunction in liver cirrhosis

Glucose intolerance characterized by postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia is commonly seen in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). The aim of this study is to clarify the relation between glucose intolerance and disorder of liver function in patients with LC. The 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (75 g OGTT) and the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp combined with 0.2 g/kg oral glucose load (HECGL) were conducted in 61 patients with LC. Based on the results of 75 g OGTT, the 61 patientswith LCwere divided into groups, 21 (34.4%) patients with normal glucose tolerance (LC-NGT), 12 (19.7%) patients with impaired glucose tolerance (LC-IGT) and 28 (45.9%) patients with diabetes mellitus (LC-DM). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level was normal in 50 (82.0%) patients with LC. All patients with LC showed insulin resistance in both peripheral (skeletal and adipose) and hepatic tissues evaluated by HECGL, although significant correlation between the degree of glucose intolerance and the severity of hepatic dysfunction was not observed. Insulin resistance in both liver and peripheral tissues is the early sign in the patients with LC. This fact indicates that nutritional care from early stages of LC would be necessary in the patients

Thin Ice Target for 16^{16}O(p,p') experiment

A windowless and self-supporting ice target is described. An ice sheet with a thickness of 29.7 mg/cm$^2$ cooled by liquid nitrogen was placed at the target position of a magnetic spectrometer and worked stably in the $^{16}$O$(p,p')$ experiment at $E_{p}=392$ MeV. Background-free spectra were obtained.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Nucl. Instr. & Meth. A (in press

Inflammatory pseudotumors of the kidney and the lung presenting as immunoglobulin G4-related disease: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>It has been reported that immunoglobulin G4-related systemic disease can spread to nearly every organ, and often presents as an inflammatory mass or masses at those sites. In the kidney, this disease is often diagnosed after a radical or partial nephrectomy following the discovery of an inflammatory mass which is often suspected to be a malignant tumor. Here, we present a rare case of inflammatory pseudotumors of the kidney and the lung presenting as immunoglobulin G4-related disease, which were diagnosed by computed tomography-guided biopsies.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 54-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital with suspected bilateral renal cancer, multiple lung metastases and autoimmune pancreatitis. His serum immunoglobulin G4 level was high. We used computed tomography-guided biopsies and histopathological examinations of the biopsied specimens to diagnose the tumors as immunoglobulin G4-related bilateral renal and lung inflammatory pseudotumors. Our patient was treated with oral prednisolone, and after one month of treatment, contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrated a general improvement, as noted by a reduction in size of the masses.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Renal masses that are formed due to immunoglobulin G4-related disease require comprehensive diagnosis to prevent unnecessary surgical resections from being performed. Further consideration should be paid to immunoglobulin G4-related diseases in the future.</p

Auditory circuits are visualized in the inferior colliculus of the transgenic mouse

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 基盤研究(C)研究期間: 2003～2004課題番号: 15500234研究代表者: 工藤 基（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 黒川 清（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教授）研究分担者: 中村 高秋（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 瀧 公介（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手

Self-shielding effect of a single phase liquid xenon detector for direct dark matter search

Liquid xenon is a suitable material for a dark matter search. For future large scale experiments, single phase detectors are attractive due to their simple configuration and scalability. However, in order to reduce backgrounds, they need to fully rely on liquid xenon's self-shielding property. A prototype detector was developed at Kamioka Observatory to establish vertex and energy reconstruction methods and to demonstrate the self-shielding power against gamma rays from outside of the detector. Sufficient self-shielding power for future experiments was obtained.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

A rare case of metastatic renal carcinoid

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carcinoid is an endocrine cell tumor with low-grade atypia, which is generally a low-grade malignant cancer with a good prognosis. Metastatic renal carcinoid is even rarer than primary carcinoids.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present our experience of a patient with metastatic renal carcinoid from the gastrointestinal tract.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The carcinoid tumor of the kidney in our patient, who had a history of liver metastasis from rectal carcinoid, was considered metastatic based on the pathological findings.</p

Tinnitus mechanisms analyzed in the inferior colliculus of the rat

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 基盤研究(C)研究期間: 2005～2007課題番号: 17500228研究代表者: 工藤 基（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 相見 良成（滋賀医科大学・医学部・准教授）研究分担者: 瀧 公介（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教）研究分担者: 中村 高秋（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 黒川 清（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教授